The Old Blind Cormorant Fisherman

24″ x 24″
Oil on canvas

In 2007 my daughter, Sherry and I went to China. We took a great boat ride on the Li River. When we disembarked the boat a handler/pimp had strategically positioned a Cormorant Fisherman in our path. He was very old and his cataracts were very obvious. His bedraggled birds were showing their age. I never realized that old black Cormorant Birds could show their age with white feathers. I have always wondered, if this old fisherman was making more money standing on that key, being photographed by tourists, than he did during, his life as a fisherman. Just how much of that dollar did his handler give him? The two birds were on opposite ends of a bamboo pole and both were relevant to the composition. It made the background very important to the overall harmony of this painting. The background needed to pull the picture together. For me having this painting will always bring back the joy of this experience in China. No! Not for sale, do not even think about it.